2013 LFL US season

Last updated
2013 LFL United States
DurationMarch 30, 2013 – August 10, 2013
Legends Cup
DateSeptember 1, 2013
Venue Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
Champions Chicago Bliss
Seasons

The 2013 LFL US Season was the fourth season of LFL United States, the first in the rebranded Legends Football League, and the fifth in the combined history of that league and its predecessor, the Lingerie Football League. The season featured 12 teams in various cities across the United States. In 2012, the league decided to move to a spring and summer schedule, beginning in March, 2013. For the 2013 season the league granted two new franchises: Omaha Heart and Atlanta Steam. The Toronto Triumph was, as scheduled, realigned into the league's Canadian division, LFL Canada, for the 2012 season. The Orlando Fantasy officially suspended operations, while the Tampa Breeze relocated to Jacksonville, Florida to become the Jacksonville Breeze.

Contents

For the 2013 season, the LFL released a new division structure, splitting the twelve teams into four divisions. Opening night of the 2013 was on March 30, 2013, between Atlanta Steam and Jacksonville Breeze, while Chicago Bliss and Green Bay Chill ended the regular season on August 10, 2013. [1] For the first time, Conference division playoffs were held on August 17, 2013 at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds of both the Eastern and Western Conferences, [2] with the winners playing the No.1 seeds in the Conference Championship games on August 24, 2013 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. [3] [4] The 2013 LFL US Legends Cup (formerly the Lingerie Bowl) was played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 1, 2013 between the Philadelphia Passion and Chicago Bliss. [5] The Chicago Bliss won the Legends bowl 38–14, its first championship in the LFL. [6]

Developments

In 2012, the league decided to officially move the next LFL United States season to April 2013. [7] The league stated the reasoning behind the postponement of the schedule was to move the league to a spring and summer schedule, mirroring every other indoor American football league of the past decade, as the commissioner felt that there was greater opportunity for success in the spring; the league also stated the hiatus would allow the league offices to focus on the introductory world tours scheduled for late 2012. [8] LFL Canada was not affected by the change and continues to play its fall 2012 schedule as originally announced. The commissioner denied the suggestion that the move was a suspension of operations. On January 10, 2013, the league announced it was abandoning its original premise as the Lingerie Football League and would rebrand as the Legends Football League, with more conventional sportswear replacing the lingerie for uniforms.

The LFL announced its first expansion team for the 2013 season would be the Omaha Heart, located in Omaha, Nebraska, playing at the Ralston Arena. [9] This was followed by a new expansion team in Saint Charles, Missouri (serving the St. Louis metropolitan area), playing in the St. Charles Convention Center, to be known as the St. Louis Saints. [10] However, negotiations to play at the arena fell through, with the league suspending operations of the franchise indefinitely. [11] St. Charles officials cited the league's refusal to guarantee fixed dates and money, while the league argued that the arena did not meet requirements of a top-tier facility. [12] On October 2, 2012, the LFL announced that Atlanta had been granted an expansion franchise to play in the 2013 LFL US season. The Atlanta Steam played its home matches at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. [13] [14]

On May 24, 2012, the LFL officially temporarily suspended operations of the Orlando Fantasy franchise for the 2013 season. [15]

For the 2013 season, the Tampa Breeze moved to Jacksonville, Florida to become known as the Jacksonville Breeze. [16] The move was primarily driven by the owners of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, who also own the Arena Football League team the Tampa Bay Storm, deciding not to compete with the Tampa Breeze for tickets sales now that the LFL shifted its regular season schedule to coincide with the Arena Football League schedule. The team played its home matches at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, which previously hosted the 2011 LFL US Conference Playoffs.

The Philadelphia Passion announced that it will play its home games at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania for the 2013 season. PPL Park is an outdoor soccer stadium, a venue that would have not been viable in the fall given eastern Pennsylvania's weather during that season. [17] Chicago Bliss returned to playing at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. [18]

Due to a new divisional structure, the league expanded its playoff series to include the top three teams in each conference. The best team in each conference was awarded a first round bye, while the other divisional champions played off against the third best teams in the conference in the Divisional Playoff round. The Conference Division Playoffs were played at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, August 17. [2] The matches were originally scheduled to be played at 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado. [19] The Conference Championship games were played on August 24, 2013 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

The 2013 Legends Cup (formerly the Lingerie Bowl) was played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 1, 2013. [5] The game was originally awarded to the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with the match to be played at Highmark Stadium. [20] Pittsburgh has been named as an LFL expansion city for the 2014 season. However, due to higher ticket sales than the 3,000 seat Highmark could accommodate, an announcement was made June 1, 2013 that the championship game would move to PPL Park in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennsylvania [21] On July 5, 2013 the game was once again moved to Las Vegas after the LFL and Las Vegas partners negotiated a multi-year agreement to keep the LFL US Legends Cup in Las Vegas for at least the next 3 years.

Teams

2013 Teams
Eastern Conference
Northeastern DivisionArena and Location
Baltimore Charm 1st Mariner Arena (Baltimore, Maryland)
Cleveland Crush Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
Philadelphia Passion PPL Park (Chester, Pennsylvania)
Southeastern DivisionArena and Location
Atlanta Steam Arena at Gwinnett Center (Duluth, Georgia)
Omaha Heart Ralston Arena (Omaha, Nebraska)
Jacksonville Breeze Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (Jacksonville, Florida)
Western Conference
Midwestern DivisionArena and Location
Chicago Bliss Sears Centre (Hoffman Estates, Illinois)
Green Bay Chill Resch Center (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Minnesota Valkyrie Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Pacific DivisionArena and Location
Las Vegas Sin Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Los Angeles Temptation Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, California)
Seattle Mist ShoWare Center (Kent, Washington)

Schedule

DateVisitorHomeKickoffVenueScoreGame Recap
Regular Season
Saturday, March 30 Atlanta Steam Jacksonville Breeze 8:00 PM ET Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville 48
Atlanta 0		 Recap
Saturday, April 6 Green Bay Chill Seattle Mist 8:00 PM PT ShoWare Center Seattle 55
Green Bay 36		 Recap
Saturday, April 13 Omaha Heart Atlanta Steam 8:00 PM ET Arena at Gwinnett Center Atlanta 42
Omaha 6		 Recap
Friday, April 19 Los Angeles Temptation Chicago Bliss 9:00 PM CT Sears Centre Los Angeles 31
Chicago 18		 Recap
Saturday, April 27
Bye Week
Saturday, May 4 Seattle Mist Los Angeles Temptation 8:00 PM PT Citizens Business Bank Arena Seattle 24
Los Angeles 20		 Recap
Friday, May 10 Las Vegas Sin Chicago Bliss 9:00 PM CT Sears Centre Chicago 34
Las Vegas 12		 Recap
Saturday, May 11 Minnesota Valkyrie Green Bay Chill 8:00 PM CT Resch Center Green Bay 40
Minnesota 8		 Recap
Saturday, May 18 Cleveland Crush Atlanta Steam 8:00 PM ET Arena at Gwinnett Center Atlanta 49
Cleveland 40		 Recap
Saturday, May 25 Baltimore Charm Jacksonville Breeze 8:00 PM ET Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Jacksonville 27
Baltimore 12		 Recap
Saturday, June 1 Jacksonville Breeze Omaha Heart 8:00 PM CT Ralston Arena Omaha 8
Jacksonville 0		 Recap
Saturday, June 8 Philadelphia Passion Baltimore Charm 8:00 PM ET 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore 20
Philadelphia 19		 Recap
Friday, June 14 Omaha Heart Cleveland Crush 8:00 PM ET Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland 12
Omaha 0		 Recap
Saturday, June 15 Jacksonville Breeze Philadelphia Passion 8:00 PM ET PPL Park Philadelphia 21
Jacksonville 19		 Recap
Saturday, June 22 Green Bay Chill Las Vegas Sin 8:00 PM PT Orleans Arena Las Vegas 40
Green Bay 32		 Recap
Saturday, June 29 Las Vegas Sin Los Angeles Temptation 8:00 PM PT Citizens Business Bank Arena Los Angeles 42
Las Vegas 26		 Recap
Saturday, July 6 Minnesota Valkyrie Seattle Mist 8:00 PM PT ShoWare Center Seattle 38
Minnesota 0		 Recap
Friday, July 12 Cleveland Crush Baltimore Charm 8:00 PM ET 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore 24
Cleveland 18		 Recap
Saturday, July 13 Atlanta Steam Philadelphia Passion 8:00 PM ET PPL Park Cancelled [nb 1]
Saturday, July 20 Seattle Mist Las Vegas Sin 8:00 PM PT Orleans Arena Seattle 52
Las Vegas 14		 Recap [ permanent dead link ]
Friday, July 26 Chicago Bliss Minnesota Valkyrie 8:00 PM CT Target Center Chicago 25
Minnesota 12		 Recap
Sunday, July 28 Philadelphia Passion Cleveland Crush 8:00 PM ET Quicken Loans Arena Philadelphia 33
Cleveland 26
Saturday, August 3 Baltimore Charm Omaha Heart 8:00 PM CT Ralston Arena Baltimore 12
Omaha 6		 Recap
Friday, August 9 Los Angeles Temptation Minnesota Valkyrie 8:00 PM CT Target Center Cancelled [nb 2]
Saturday, August 10 Chicago Bliss Green Bay Chill 8:00 PM CT Resch Center Chicago 27
Green Bay 18		 Recap [ permanent dead link ]
  1. ↑ Match between Atlanta Steam and Philadelphia Passion was cancelled on July 5, 2013. Both teams were awarded a tie. [22]
  2. ↑ Match between Los Angeles Temptation and Minnesota Valkyrie was cancelled. Both teams were awarded a tie. [23]

Playoffs

DateVisitorHomeKickoffVenueCityScoreGame Recap
Conference Division Playoffs
Saturday, August 17 Philadelphia Passion Atlanta Steam 7:00 PM CT Sears Centre Hoffman Estates, Illinois Philadelphia 28
Atlanta 20
Los Angeles Temptation Chicago Bliss 9:00 PM CTLos Angeles 12
Chicago 19
Conference Championships
Saturday, August 24 Philadelphia Passion Baltimore Charm 7:00 PM PT Citizens Business Bank Arena Ontario, California Philadelphia 20
Baltimore 19		 Recap
Chicago Bliss Seattle Mist 9:00 PM PTChicago 31
Seattle 14
Legends Cup
Sunday, September 1 Chicago Bliss Philadelphia Passion 7:00PM PT Orleans Arena Las Vegas, Nevada Chicago 34
Philadelphia 18		 Recap


DateVisitorHomeKickoffVenueScoreGame Recap
Pacific Cup 2
Friday, December 6 Los Angeles Temptation Seattle Mist 8:00 PM PT ShoWare Center Seattle 27
Los Angeles 25

Standings

Eastern Conference

Northeastern Division

TeamWinsLossTiesPctPFPANet PtsTD'sHome RecordHome PctRoad RecordRoad PctConferenceConf. PctConf. Streak
"*^ Baltimore Charm 3100.7506870-2112-01.0001-10.5003-10.750W3
^ Philadelphia Passion 2110.66773658111-0-10.7501-10.5002-1-10.625W1
Cleveland Crush 1300.25096106-10151-10.5000-20.0001-30.250L2

Southeastern Division

TeamWinsLossTiesPctPFPANet PtsTD'sHome RecordHome PctRoad RecordRoad PctConferenceConf. PctConf. Streak
*^ Atlanta Steam 2110.6679194-3132-01.0000-1-10.2502-1-10.625T1
Jacksonville Breeze 2200.500944153142-01.0000-20.0002-20.500L2
Omaha Heart 1300.2502066-4631-10.5000-20.0001-30.250L2

Western Conference

Midwestern Division

TeamWinsLossTiesPctPFPANet PtsTD'sHome RecordHome PctRoad RecordRoad PctConferenceConf. PctConf. Streak
*^ Chicago Bliss 3100.750104441681-10.5002-01.0003-10.750W3
Green Bay Chill 1300.250126130-4191-10.5000-20.0001-30.250W1
Minnesota Valkyrie 0310.00020103-8330-1-10.0000-20.0000-3-10.000L3

Pacific Division

TeamWinsLossTiesPctPFPANet PtsTD'sHome RecordHome PctRoad RecordRoad PctConferenceConf. PctConf. Streak
"*^ Seattle Mist 4001.0001697099252-01.0002-01.0004-01.000W4
^ Los Angeles Temptation 2110.667936825131-10.5001-0-11.0002-10.667W1
Las Vegas Sin 1300.25092160-68141-10.5000-20.0001-30.250L2

  * conference champion, " division winner, ^ clinched playoff berth

Awards

League MVP

Offensive Player of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Mortaza Award

Most Improved Player

Coach of the Year

Team of the Year

Legends Cup MVP

8th Man Award (Best Fan Base)

LFL Awards Winners

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "LFL 2013 Schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  2. 1 2 LFL.360.com (2013-07-20). "LFL Divisional Playoffs moves to Chicago's Sears Centre Arena".
  3. ↑ "LFLUS 2013 Division Structure and Post-Season Schedule Released". Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-11-02.
  4. ↑ LFL360.com. "LFL Conference Playoffs awarded to Los Angeles, California" . Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  5. 1 2 "Legends Cup 2013 returns to its home, Las Vegas". LFL360.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  6. ↑ John Wroblewski. "2013 Chicago Bliss — A New Champion Is Crowned". LFL360.com. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  7. ↑ Jim Wallin. "Alert: LFL United States Regular Season Shift and Official Statement from Commissioner Mortaza". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  8. ↑ Chase, Chris. Lingerie Football League goes on hiatus. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ Omaha World-Herald (2012-04-20). "Omaha to get Lingerie Football team". Omaha.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  10. ↑ US | LFL Releases Omaha Heart Logo
  11. ↑ New LFL Team Will Launch in Atlanta Archived 2012-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Lingerie Football League has no place to play in St. Louis
  13. ↑ LFL360.com Breaking News: Lingerie Football League Announces 2013 Expansion into Atlanta
  14. ↑ Lingerie Football League's Atlanta expansion franchise releases name and open tryout date/location
  15. ↑ "Us | League Announces Temporary Suspension Of Orlando Fantasy Franchise". LFL360. 2012-05-24. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  16. ↑ "Breaking News: Storied LFL Franchise Tampa Breeze Moving to Jacksonville". LFL360. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  17. ↑ LFL360.com Breaking News: Philadelphia Passion Announce New Home Stadium
  18. ↑ Chicago Bliss Return to Sears Center Arena
  19. ↑ LFL360.com. "Breaking News: LFL USA 2013 Divisional Playoffs awarded to Denver, Colorado" . Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  20. ↑ LFL360.com. "LFL announces new name & city for the 2013 championship game" . Retrieved 2013-04-26.
  21. ↑ LFL360.com. "Legends Cup 2013 moves to PPL Park in Philadelphia" . Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  22. ↑ "Philadelphia Passion July 13 game has been cancelled, ticket refunds will be issued". LFL360.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  23. ↑ "EVENT CANCELLED: Legends Football League: Minnesota Valkyrie vs. Los Angeles Temptation". Target Center. Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-08-17.